Major Depressive Disorder News and Research

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Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric condition characterized by depressed mood or anhedonia (significant loss of interest or pleasure). The condition affects more than 15.7 million adults and approximately 3 million adolescents (aged 13 to 17 years) in the USA each year.

Internet-delivered CBT may help reduce depressive symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis

Major depressive disorder affects up to 50% of all individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) at some point during their lifetime and can lead to lower quality of life, greater disease progression and higher mortality.

27 Sep 2023

How important is inflammation and body weight in the origin of depression?

A new paper in BMC Medicine examines the role of inflammation and body mass index (BMI) in the etiology of treatment-resistant depression.

18 Sep 2023

The science behind lifestyle's role in preventing depression

A recent paper looks at the effect of a range of lifestyle factors in relation to brain structure, immune function, metabolic pathways, and genetic mechanisms that are responsible for depression.

13 Sep 2023

Research review focuses on the use of psilocybin for treatment of depression

A growing body of evidence suggests that psychedelic drugs may be useful in treating various mental health conditions.

8 Sep 2023

Antipsychotics are likely overprescribed among homebound patients with dementia, study shows

New research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society indicates that antipsychotics are likely overprescribed and used inappropriately among patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) receiving home health care, and such use is linked to worse patient outcomes.

7 Sep 2023

Teen brains with depression show heightened sensitivity to parental criticism

Adolescents with depression show heightened neural activity in response to parental criticism and are less positively impacted by parental praise, according to a study in Psychological Medicine. The research underscores the importance of psycho-education for parents and clinicians to better understand the unique emotional sensitivities of adolescents with depressive disorders.

6 Sep 2023

Gut feeling: How your microbiome could be shaping your mental health

Researchers in Biological Psychiatry delve into the complex relationship between the gut microbiome and mental health disorders like depression and bipolar disorder. The study explores how not just gut bacteria, but also lesser-known gut microorganisms such as viruses, fungi, and parasites, play a pivotal role in mood disorders.

5 Sep 2023

What are the efficacy and safety of psilocybin in patients with major depressive disorder?

The safety, timing, magnitude, and durability of the antidepressant psilocybin on patients with major depressive disorders.

4 Sep 2023

Peer-delivered psychotherapy effective for postpartum depression

An innovative model of care that offers new mothers psychotherapy delivered by other mothers who have also experienced post-partum depression (PPD) should be implemented in clinical practice, according to researchers at McMaster University.

31 Aug 2023

Study explores the potential of robotic-assisted TMS for depression

In a recent study published in the Scientific Reports, a group of researchers evaluated the efficiency, therapeutic efficacy, and patient perceptions of a custom robotic system for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) coil placement in treating depression compared to traditional manual methods.

31 Aug 2023

Spending on mental health services rose by 53% during the COVID-19 pandemic

Spending on mental health services among Americans with private health insurance has surged since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing to rise even as the use of telehealth has plateaued, according to a new study.

25 Aug 2023

Depression survivors spend more time processing negative information

People who have recovered from a major depressive episode, when compared with individuals who have never experienced one, tend to spend more time processing negative information and less time processing positive information, putting them at risk for a relapse, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

21 Aug 2023

ADHD diagnosis in childhood vs adulthood: is there a difference in genetic architecture?

Researchers investigated whether individuals diagnosed with ADHD during childhood vs adulthood differed in terms of unique and shared genetic and functional architectures.

9 Aug 2023

Is a Western diet a risk factor for major depressive disorder?

Researchers investigated whether the Western diet (WD) was a risk element for major depressive disorder (MDD) patients.

8 Aug 2023

Similarities in gene expression between post-mortem and living human brains

Researchers compare human prefrontal cortex gene expression between living and post-mortem samples.

7 Aug 2023

GABA-modulating treatments could help tackle cognitive, affective symptoms associated with depression

Depression is a complex condition correlated with multiple differences in brain function and mechanisms. A new paper spanning known data about the neurotransmitter GABA and its principal receptors showcases evidence of the receptors' importance in depression and potential as therapeutic targets.

3 Aug 2023

Uncommon genetic allele variants may play a vital role in treatment-resistant depression, finds study

The association between treatment-resistant depression and uncommon functional genetic alleles.

3 Aug 2023

Sex differences in depression: Including transgender and intersex populations in mental health research

In 2016, recognizing that lack of research in female animals was hampering the success of treatments for mood disorders, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) changed its policy for basic research to include sex as a biological variable for basic research, a move that triggered an explosion of research into sex differences.

1 Aug 2023

Research reveals surprising genetic overlap between neurological and psychiatric disorders

Researchers compared the shared genetic risk and biological foundations of neurological and mental illnesses.